Ecotherapy

Ecotherapy is an emerging field of psychotherapy that expands beyond the traditional human-centered treatment modalities to include the human–nature relationship. Ecotherapy is based on the theoretical orientation of ecopsychology, a relatively new field that recognizes that human health and identity are integrally linked to the health and sustainability of the earth. Ecopsychology maintains that environmental problems and psychological disease are a result of our alienation from the natural world; and thus, one of the goals of ecopsycology is to heal this fundamental split by increasing consciousness of our inherent connection with nature. Ecopsychology takes a holistic approach, addressing the physical, psychological, and spiritual conditions of both the human and the nonhuman world.